Asshat Burgles Kids With Cancer – Nerds Respond with Kindness

HopeSpring is a cancer support center that offers services and counseling to people suffering from cancer. One of their regular programs is for children where they provide games and a fun atmosphere to help kids with cancer meet each other and cope with the fear, pain, and uncertainty that comes with the disease.

And some heartless thief stole their WII U. You read that right. Somebody STOLE A WII FROM KIDS WITH CANCER. Asshole.

This story has a promising narrative though, and hopefully a happy ending.

As soon as the news of the robbery broke, a team of nerds rallied to correct the injustice. Not only did they rally, they did it stupendously quickly. In a little less than three weeks from the day of the robbery, a charity fundraiser event has been planned, raffle prizes and auction items have been donated, and hope has started to grow again. The message is clear, this is a crime against nerds, and nerds will rectify it.

The event being planned will be a simple evening of boardgames with the entire ticket price being donated to HopeSpring. There will also be some raffle prizes and silent auctions Some of the people responsible for Headshots from the Heart and Nerd Nite K-W are the driving force behind it. (I have the honour of having been asked to host)

Unless you’re in the Kitchener-Waterloo area… that’s in Ontario… Canada… you’re probably not going to be able to make it out. However, you can still support it if you like. The donation page is here. They’re not looking to raise millions, just enough to cover the lost property, a WII U, a projector, and a laptop. You can also follow them on twitter @GameRescue4HS

The larger reason I’m telling you all this, though, is to shine a light on the idea of nerds giving back. Most of us geeks are good folk, helping out in the community and giving to charity, but rarely do we do that work with our nerd flag flying. Why would we? It’s not about us. But the result is that while we give to good causes as mothers and brothers and friends and community members, our image of cold-blooded basement-dwelling troglodytes festers.

This, then, is an opportunity to wash away some of that funk, to show that geeks care. It was a crime against nerds, so nerds are responding. Put up the bat signal. Some sick kids need to know that the world has a bit of kindness left in it.

Like this:

Ryan is a professional nerd, teaching engineering in the frozen north. Somewhat less professionally, he is a costumer, author, blacksmith, juggler, gamer, serial enthusiast, and supporter of the Oxford comma. He can be found on twitter and instagram @studentofwhim.
If you like what I do here, feel free to leave a tip in my tipjar.